The Year of the Pig ends! Immigration police announce latest arrests for passport violations

[webfact]

The Year of the Pig ends! Immigration police announce latest arrests for passport violations

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Thai media Naew Na once again trumpeted the success of the country's biometrics system in keeping the nation safe from undesirable foreigners. 

 

In a story about the latest triumphs of the capabilities of the 2 billion baht system and Region 2 immigration, responsible for Bangkok's main airport Suvarnabhumi, they said that this was the end of "The Year of the Pig". 

 

On hand to announce the latest news was chief Pol Lt-Gen Sompong "Big Oud" Chingduang and his deputy Pol Maj-Gen Surapong Chaijan. 

 

They were speaking at the same conference at immigration HQ in Suan Phlu, Bangkok, in which they praised their biometrics system and dismissed criticism from IB predecessor Lt-Gen Surachate "Big Joke" Hakparn. 

 

This part of the press conference ground down into the details of what the system could do and seven arrests were presented to the press. 

 

Four of the arrests were in the same case. Eva Air staff on December 19th alerted immigration after two Turks checked-in for a flight to London. They appeared to be a couple. 

 

Soon the biometrics system flagged up the fact that they were travelling on fake Turkish passports and were not a couple. 

 

It emerged they were known to two others who were soon arrested trying to board a THAI flight to London. They had all bought fake Turkish passports in Istanbul for around 20,000 baht. 

 

Naew Na did not explain how they had got into Thailand in the first place, notes Thaivisa. 

 

In the next case on Boxing Day an Iranian travelling with his family was stopped using a fake French passport trying to enter Thailand. He admitted paying $5,000 for it (around 150,000 baht) and was attempting to go to Canada.

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Arrest number 6 was a person from the Dominican Republic on a fake passport from that country trying to enter Thailand for purposes of tourism. 

 

The final case featured a passenger who was approached by immigration officers in the departure hall. This passenger was found to be in possession of a fake Malaysian passport he said he had bought for $1,000 (30,000 baht). The passenger also had a genuine Sri Lankan passport in his possession. 

 

In all Region 2 of the immigration police responsible at Suvarnabhumi Airport had refused entry to 13,992 people over the course of the year. 

 

Eighty two cases involved fake passports, 786 were wanted on warrants and 60 were flagged up by biometrics. 

 

In the light of the big headlines about biometrics this relatively small number was not explained by Naew Na, notes Thaivisa. 

 

Source: Naew Na

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-01-10

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[Somtamnication]

With the guy on the left, now I know where some of that revenue is feeding.

[RotBenz8888]

6 minutes ago, Somtamnication said:

With the guy on the left, now I know where some of that revenue is feeding.

Year of the pig, oink oink.

[SueOriginal]

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

In all Region 2 of the immigration police responsible at Suvarnabhumi Airport had refused entry to 13,992 people over the course of the year. 

 

Eighty two cases involved fake passports, 786 were wanted on warrants and 60 were flagged up by biometrics. 

So, roughly 35 persons per day are turned off because of lack of funds, return ticket or "being too long in Thailand" or suspicion that they work there

[rkidlad]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Soon the biometrics system flagged up the fact that they were travelling on fake Turkish passports and were not a couple.

The fake passports I can forgive, but lying about being a couple? No, that's just a step too far. 

[Misterwhisper]

The Year of the Pig is of course followed by the Year of the Rat. I am not sure that forebodes too well. After plenty of swining around in 2019, we are probably looking forward to a lot of ratting out in 2020.

 

And Naew Na will keep trumpeting and trumpeting. I sometimes wonder who is financing that newspaper, or who is paying kickbacks so Naew Na will continue serving as the unofficial jubilation mouthpiece of the IB, extolling the virtues of the insanely expensive (and as TV pointed out, only marginally effective) biometrics system.  

[dcnx]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Region 2 of the immigration police responsible at Suvarnabhumi Airport had refused entry to 13,992 people over the course of the year. 

 

Eighty two cases involved fake passports, 786 were wanted on warrants and 60 were flagged up by biometrics. 

And the rest were refused because Somchai was having a bad day?

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Eighty two cases involved fake passports, 786 were wanted on warrants and 60 were flagged up by biometrics. 

 

In the light of the big headlines about biometrics this relatively small number was not explained by Naew Na, notes Thaivisa. 

I can see Naew Na is an impartial news source.

[leeneeds]

Keeping one undesirable out is good, turning back 13,992 is great, those people have a potential to do dishonest things, and for the cost and all its faults I have no doubt in my mind a saved local life would be in the statistics, if the system was not inplace.

[Chazar]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

In the light of the big headlines about biometrics this relatively small number was not explained by Naew Na, notes Thaivisa

the only  people  present as  these  "dumb  ass were  doing  our  job  promotions"

  are the police and  naew na

[legend49]

1 hour ago, leeneeds said:

Keeping one undesirable out is good, turning back 13,992 is great, those people have a potential to do dishonest things, and for the cost and all its faults I have no doubt in my mind a saved local life would be in the statistics, if the system was not inplace.

we have 13,992 rejected if they spent 5000 baht a day as we are told the Chinese do thats 69 million baht lost in just one day. They cry that no money is coming in, lol.

[RichardColeman]

"And Mr. Doughnut is about.......(pause for thought)......(longer pause).......here !!"

Edited January 10, 2020 by RichardColeman

[khunjeff]

"Soon the biometrics system flagged up the fact that they were travelling on fake Turkish passports and were not a couple."

 

Biometrics cannot identify a fake passport, or the relationship status of a man and woman. The only way biometrics could possibly have helped would be if the fingerprints were found to be a match for people who had entered Thailand on different passports and claiming different spouses.

[JAG]

So 0.4% of those who were refused entry were flagged up by the new (expensive) biometric system. A significant contribution to the security of the nation!

[DrTuner]

I think Thailand is the only country I've ever seen publishing immigration busts on a weekly or daily basis. They do love their pointing and grandstanding.

[tifino]

2 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

I think Thailand is the only country I've ever seen publishing immigration busts on a weekly or daily basis. They do love their pointing and grandstanding.

 

it is just their attempt at copying the concept - of Deterrence 

 

 

 

In Ozzie lingo - hanging a dead fox on a fence  (is the translation) 

[bwpage3]

Out of 26 million tourists, not many at all.

[metisdead]

A post with a link to another forum has been removed. 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

"And Mr. Doughnut is about.......(pause for thought)......(longer pause).......here !!"

I just wonder who owns the poster company.... doing a great trade!

[Jomtien Holiday Guy]

Good job ???? Catch as many as possible on fake travel documents as possible…..GOD JOB!

[Scott Tracy]

I wonder both of no runs the poster and vinyl board company is and where and how they are disposed of in these more environmentally aware times.

Biometrics in UK need no finger prints. Passport and facial recognition.

Used to be IRIS scan. Had to be registered.

In Paris, it was the passport and choose the prints of any 1 of the 10 fingers. Also had to register.

 

[Scott Tracy]

Sorry, brain fade and finger trouble combined with word suggesting and self correcting technology. That plus a failure to check...

What was supposed to have been published was:

I wonder both; who runs the poster and vinyl board companies....

[leeneeds]

15 hours ago, legend49 said:

we have 13,992 rejected if they spent 5000 baht a day as we are told the Chinese do thats 69 million baht lost in just one day. They cry that no money is coming in, lol.

monetary gain is sometimes not worth the price people  have to pay

[Nyezhov]

9 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Out of 26 million tourists, not many at all.

But if one of them is a bad dude, thats one too many.

 

Personally I support the efforts of nations to control their borders.

[mokwit]

12 hours ago, DrTuner said:

I think Thailand is the only country I've ever seen publishing immigration busts on a weekly or daily basis. They do love their pointing and grandstanding.

What we are all forgetting is that Immigration came under criticism from the Thai population - they were wondering what Immigration was doing if all these criminals and romance scammers were operating in Thailand. Hence Immigration are now showing how they are weeding out the criminals or stopping them entering. Also a certain investment has to be justified.

[lamyai3]

 

This is the most vinyl ever seen in one location... perhaps it's the real reason behind the Big Joke bunfight. 

[Prairieboy]

16 hours ago, legend49 said:

we have 13,992 rejected if they spent 5000 baht a day as we are told the Chinese do thats 69 million baht lost in just one day. They cry that no money is coming in, lol.

That is the yearly figure not daily - it is an average of about 38/day so the loss amounts to only 191,000 per day.

[klauskunkel]

1 hour ago, lamyai3 said:

This is the most vinyl ever seen in one location... perhaps it's the real reason behind the Big Joke bunfight. 

Vinyl is some kind of plastic, isn't it? Should be banned...

[Yadon Toploy]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai media Naew Na once again trumpeted the success of the country's biometrics system in keeping the nation safe from undesirable foreigners. 

Continuously trying to justify why billions were spent on catching petty criminals so they could all get their little piggy snouts in the trough.

 

Meanwhile, in other news, alleged corruption in procurement of the biometric system seems to be taking a back stage... wonder why?

 

It's like absolutely everything here, mired in greed and corruption and devoid of ethics and morality. 

 

 

[lamyai3]

52 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

Vinyl is some kind of plastic, isn't it? Should be banned...

It'd be rather amusing if Greta Thunberg was to add Thai immigration to her 2020 shame list.